Sectional filing cabinet



DEC. 4, 1934. w REGENHARDT SECTIONAL FILING CABINET Filed Oct. 11, 1933 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE Application October 11,

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to sectional filing cabinets particularly to individual cabinet sections which may be disposed and interlocked in side by side and in stacked relationship.

One ofthe objects of the present invention is to provide elongated projections or sleeves on opposite side walls of each cabinet section and arrange these projections so that the projections of the sections are aligned and to provide a slidlO able element which is cooperative with the projections for detachably interlocking the sections.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of embodiment oi the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an improved cabinet section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a filing cabinet comprising a plurality of the sections shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cabinet showing the interlmking mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the metal stamping from which the top, botttom and side walls of a section are formed; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the metal from which the back of a section is formed.

Referring to the drawing, a plurality of cabinet sections 20 are detachably connected with one another in side by side relationship and in stacked relationship to form a cabinet 21.

The sections 20 are similarly and are preferably made of sheet metal. The top 23, right side 24, the bottom 25, the left side 26 are formed of a single sheet of metal 23. Thus a rectangular sec tion is provided which is open in the front as at 29. The rear of the section is closed by a back 30. The side 26 of sheet 28 is bent upwardly at line 32 (Fig. 5) and the ledge 33 is bent inwardly at right angles to side 26 at line 34. The side 24 is bent upwardly at line 35 and the top 23 is bent inwardly at right angles to side 24 at line 36 so that the top 23 overlies the ledge 33. The top 23 is bonded with ledge 33 as by welding. The back 30 is formed of a sheet of metal 38 having four ledges 39 which are formed by being bent at right angles to back 30 at lines 40- (see Fig. 6) The ledges 39 snugly fit within and are bonded with the top, bottom and side walls of the rec tangular section 21. A portion of the back is cut away, as at 41, to accommodate the ledge 33.

1933, Serial No. 693,067

An indicia. carrier 43 is formed by bending the flange 44 of top 23 at 46 (see Fig. 5) and curling the same at 45. A flange 4'7 on bottom 25 is curled at 48 to form a downwardly extending ledge 47, which when the cabinet sections are stacked, not only closes the gap between sections, but is aligned with-the upturned part of carrier 43 to form a sleeve for an indicia plate.

To form a sturdy sectional cabinet, it is necessary to provide interlocking mechanism which will firmly maintain the detachable sections in position. In order to accomplish this I provide a plurality of long interlocking connections in the form of elongated projections which are arranged to interlock with a slidably detachable element. In the present illustration the elongated projections are of sleeve formation and these sleeves are formed integrally with the side walls and are a part 0! the metal sheet 28.

A sleeve 50 is formed on the upper end and at the front edge of side 24 and a sleeve 51 is formed at the lower part at the front edge of side 26. These sleeves are formed from ears 53 and 54 respectively of metal sheet 28. It will be noted that the lowest end of sleeve 50 is above the highest end of sleeve 51, the purpose or this being that when for example, a side 26 of a section 21 is placed beside a side 24 of another section, the sleeve 51 will interfit so that the sleeve 51 of one section will be in direct alignment with sleeve 50 of the next adjacent section. Similar sleeves 56 and 5'7 are formed at the rears of sides 24 and 26 by ears 53 and 54* respectively and are disposed in the reverse order; namely, sleeve 56 lies below the horizontal plane of sleeve 50.

When the sections are placed side by side and are not stacked. a pin of sufficient length is inserted through sleeve 50 of one section and sleeve 51 of another section, at the'front, and. a similar pin is inserted through sleeve 5'7 of the second mentioned section and sleeve 56 of the first mentioned section at the rear. This pin should be substantially the length of the height of a section. The long sleeves provide a long bearing surface so as to firmly hold the sections together. It the sections are to be stacked one above the other, a short pin 59 is inserted in the lower sleeve and then a longer pin 60 is inserted. This longer pin rests upon the short pin 59 and extends above the top of the lower section, a distance equal to the length of the short pin because the pin 60 is of the same length as the height of the section 21. That part of the pin 60 which extends above the lower section will extend into a lower sleeve of the next upper section. In this manner the pin 60 extends, for example, into a sleeve 51 of one section, a sleeve of the next adjacent side section and a sleeve 51 of a third section disposed directly above the first section.

If the stack is to be only two layers high a pin 59 will be placed on top of pin 60 as indicated by line 61 in Fig. 4 so that it will extend within thesleeve 51 of onesection and the sleeve 50 of the-next adjacent section. If the stack is to be more than two layers high, a long pin 60 will be placed on top of the first pin 60 so that it will extend into the lower sleeve of the nextupper section. The same arrangement is also carried out for the rear sleeves 56 and 5'7. The pin 6 has a length equal to the height of the section 21 and these pins can be utilized alone when the sections are merely placed side by side and are not stacked.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a sectional cabinet in which the sections can be readily attached or detached. In attaching it is necessary only to place the sections in the v desired position and then insert the proper pins and, in detaching, it is necessary only to lift upwardly on the sections and then remove the pins.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein described constitutes a preferred form, it is who understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

I claim:

l. A filing cabinet section arranged for interlocking engagement in side by side and in stacked relationship with like cabinet sections comprising a bottom wall and opposite side walls joined with the bottom wall. said side walls being bent to form sleeves, the bottom of the sleeve of one side wall being disposed above the horizontal plane of the top. of the sleeve of the other side wall, whereby said sleeves will interfit' with sleeves of like cabinet sections.

2. A filing cabinet section arranged for interlocking engagement in side by side and instacked relationship with like cabinet sections comprising a bottom wall and opposite side walls joined with the bottom wall. the upper part of an edge of one of said side walls being bent to form a sleeve and the other of said side walls being bent at an edge to form a sleeve below the lowest horizontal plane of the flrstsleeve whereby said sleeves will interflt with sleeves of like cabinet sections.

3. A filing cabinet section arranged for interlocking engagement in side by side and in stacked relationship with like cabinet sections comprising opposed walls and a wall joining the opposed walls, each of said opposed walls being bent for a portion of its length to form a sleeve, each of said sleeves having its longitudinal axis parallel to the front edge of its wall, the entire sleeve of one wall being offset from the axis of the opposed sleeve and axially entirely beyond said opposed sleeve whereby said sleeves will interfit' with sleeves of like cabinet sections.

4. A filing cabinet section arranged for interlocking engagement in side by-side and in stacked relationship with like cabinet sections comprising opposed walls and a wall joining the opposed walls, a sleeve on an edge of one of the opposed walls, a similar sleeve on an edge of the other of said opposed walls, each of said sleeves having its longitudinal axis parallel to the front edge of its wall, the entire sleeve of one wall being offset from the axis of the opposed sleeve and axially entirely beyond said opposed sleeve whereby said sleeves will interfit with sleeves of like cabinet sections.

5. A filing cabinetcomprising in combination, a.

plurality of individual sections, each of said sections having opposed walls, and a wall joining the opposed walls, a sleeve on the edge of each of said opposed walls, each of said sleeves having its longitudinal axis parallel to the front edge of its wall, the entire sleeve of one Wall being ofiset from the axis of the opposed sleeve and axially entirely beyond said opposed sleeve whereby said sleeves will interfit with sleeves of like cabinet sections, and pins extending through the sleeves of adjacent sections.

6. A filing cabinet comprising in combination, a plurality of individual sections disposed one above the other and also disposed side by side, each of said sections having vertically extending side walls and a joining horizontal wall, each of said side walls having a vertically extending sleeve, the bottom of the sleeve of one wall being disposed above the next adjacent sleeve of the side wall of the next adjacent section, a. pin in the lower sleeve, a second pin arranged to extend into said lower sleeve and in an upper sleeve of the next adjacent side section and in the lower sleeve of the section which is disposed above the first section.

7. A filing cabinet comprising in combination, a plurality of individual sections, each of said sections having opposed walls and a wall joining the opposed walls, an elongated projection on each of said opposed walls, each of said projections having its longitudinal axis parallel to the front edge of its wall, the projection of one wall being offset from the axis of the opposed projection and being disposed for longitudinally displaced alignment with the projection on the next adjacent coextensive wall of the next adjacent section. and a slide element for interlocking projections of adjacent sections.

8. A filing cabinet comprising in combination, a plurality of individual sections arranged one above the other, each of said 'sections having an upwardly extending flange at the upper part thereof and a downwardly extending flange at the bottom part thereof, the downwardly extending flange of an upper section cooperating with the upwardly extending flange of the next lower section to form a sleeve for receiving an indicia plate.

9. A filing cabinet comprising in combination, a plurality of individual sections disposed in side by side and stacked relationship, each of said sections having opposed walls and a wall joining the opposed walls, and means for retaining said side by side and stacked sections in cabinet formation including a latching projection on each of the opposed walls, each of said projections having its longitudinal axis parallel to the front edge of its wall, the latching projection of one wall being oilset from the axis of the opposed projection and being disposed for longitudinally displaced alignment with the latching projection on the next adjacent coextensive wall of the next adjacent section, and a latching slide element for interlatching aligned latching projections of adjacent sections.

WALTERF. REGENHARDT. 

